Geographical Distribution: Amazon, Araguaia-Tocantins andPrata basins.

Description: Fishes with scales. There are several species that are also called pacu (white pacu, common pacu etc.). Both the pacu and the pirapatinga or “caranha” species are large size.The pirapatinga is bigger and reaches2.62 ftof length and 44 lbs of weight, although it is not very common to find specimens of this size. Both species are very similar, with high and laterally compressed body; the coloration is uniform and purplish gray in adults and gray with orange spots on young fishes, the teeth are the molariform type.

Ecology: Omnivorous species with a tendency to herbivores: feeding on fruit/seeds, leaves, algae and, less commonly, fish, crustaceans and molluscs. 
It is common to catch them under trees when fruits/seeds fall into the water. They stay in the rivers during the dry season and enter the lakes/ponds and flooded forests during floods. They are considered very sporting fishes, mainly pacu in the Pantanal, and they are very important commercially.